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There is a trait Masai Ujiri seeks out more than any other in the players he covets for the Raptors, something far more important to him than dribbling or shooting, passing or defence.

He will open the vault to find those who possess it, he will take risks because he sees it dormant in some players, ready to be developed over time.

It is impossible to define but it’s led him to make subtle changes and key additions to a 2014-15 roster now almost fully formed.

“I don’t like guys who cut corners or try to go the easy route,” the president and general manager said Thursday while officially announcing the return of point guard Kyle Lowry and a couple of other additions to the team.

“These guys work hard . . . and you know what?”

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“I don’t pay players, I don’t pay stats, I try to pay winners. And that’s what you want to do. It’s not like they’ve done it for many years but it’s a great start for us.”

The Raptors held a ceremony today in the Real Sports Bar and Grill with fans in attendance to announce the signing of Kyle Lowry (right). (Colin McConnell / Toronto Star) | Order this photo

Kyle Lowry announced that he agreed to a deal with the Raptors on his Twitter account. (INSTAGRAM)

Ujiri’s work is all but done with the official announcement that Lowry is back on a four-year, $48 million deal, joined by Greivis Vasquez (two years, $13 million) and one-time Raptor James Johnson, who rejoins the team on a two-year, $5 million contract as a free agent small forward.

There may be room for one more transaction — Ujiri has yet to completely decide whether second-round draft pick DeAndre Daniels will join the team next season or not — but the majority of the work is done.

The tweaking of the roster hasn’t mean huge substantial changes but the subtle ones may be good enough. There is a backcourt upgrade in the addition of Lou Williams (acquired in trade for John Salmons), the signing of Johnson should be seen as an improvement over Salmons as a backup to Terrence Ross and getting Lowry and Vasquez back in the fold at affordable prices lends a much-needed level of roster stability.

If there is a gamble, it’s signing Johnson, the 6-9 former Bulls No. 16 pick who clashed with coach Dwane Casey at the end of his tenure three seasons ago.

Johnson does fit the small forward need, he’s an aggressive, big defender, but character issues are something that had to be considered. Johnson did have a domestic assault charge dismissed last month and, according to Ujiri, has matured.

Johnson and Casey met twice during the free agency courtship period — including a dinner Wednesday night — and there seems to be no lingering issues.

“He’s had his issues in the past but haven’t we all?” said the general manager. “This is a good opportunity for him. He has to take advantage of it.”

The start and end of the process, however, was Lowry, the 28-year-old who morphed into the team’s leader in an out-of-nowhere 48-win 2013-14 season. He gives the Raptors an elite point guard coming off his best season in the NBA and, more important, establishes him as the true leader of the team.

Lowry said he had an offer from the Houston Rockets, accompanied by phone calls from Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons, and he had contact with the Miami Heat during the free agent negotiation process.

But the chance to improve with a young roster, and to lead it, was more than he could turn down. It speaks to where the Raptors are as a franchise — growing, not there yet but promising — that the chance to lead a group was more enticing to Lowry than the chance to join an established team with legitimate championship aspirations.

“I knew the money was going to come, the years were going to come,” he said of the deal that makes him the highest-paid player on the roster. “I wanted to be in a place I could win and grow.

“This organization, from top to bottom, is unbelievable first class organization and I want to be a part of it and do something special.”

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